Torch, Fall/Winter 2012

I n this postmodern era, the Church of Jesus Christ is facing some critical theological debates that strike at the core of its identity. One of the most significant relates to the very nature of the Church itself — what theologians call the doctrine of ecclesiology. Some who seek to follow Christ are highly innovative, taking liberties with the doctrine and form of the Church that make others, who may be more conservative, rally to the defense of what they perceive to be the Church’s historic ideal and image. Thus, a highly charged debate rages between what we might call “innovators” and “preservers.” What is lost in much of the contemporary debate is the rich history of the Church, which has undergone extensive developments, major renovations, and radical transformations in its 2,000 years of existence. The changes are not limited to the most recent eras, as if the Church has had a stable ecclesiological doctrine and form for most of its history; rather, change has been consistent from the New Testament era to the present. Innovators and preservers are naturally and, I would argue, necessarily present in every innovative force that radically changed the nature of worship and tradition and met with critical resistance. Some of the most creative innovators of the post-apostolic era were heretical individuals and groups that sought to radically separate Christianity from Judaism (e.g., gnostics), limit the Christian “canon” to a truncated Gospel of Luke and 10 letters of Paul (Marcion), or preserve the unity of God either by diminishing the divinity of Christ (e.g., adoptionists and Arian) or by denying the separate personhood of Christ (e.g., modalists). Some of the most radical innovators of the medieval era were monastic individuals who reacted against the worldliness of a church growing in power, wealth, and political engagement. Various monastic groups called for reform and a return to the simplicity of the Gospel and Christian service, often heralding the virtues of chastity, poverty, and obedience. The 16 th -century Reformers were innovators in their call for a return to Scripture in opposition to Catholic abuses of power, outright immorality, and growth in ecclesiastical tradition. At the same time, they were preservers as they sought to limit the extreme elements of the Reformation movement. Fall–Winter 2008 13 institution and movement. Thus, it should not surprise us that the trend continues. What we need is some perspective and the tools to help us assess the nature of the change so that our response can be informed rather than reactionary. Innovators and Preservers One of the themes that emerged out of the 16 th -century Reformation — one of the most radical change-points in the history of the Church (and one that most contemporary preservers applaud) — was the mantra “The Church reformed, and ever to be reformed.” This concept was not new or legitimate only for the Reformation era; it existed on a regular basis for the first 15 centuries of the Church’s history and has obviously continued since then. This mantra is true and necessary as the Church makes self-corrections, faces different cultural situations, and represents Christ to the world. It is interesting to note that it is not a predetermined certainty that preservers are the ones faithful to Christian truth while innovators are radicals and heretics, or vice versa. The early church itself was an A Look at Church History: C hange N ever C omes E asy by C arl B . S mith, P h .D.